


in dreams.

by cptlewnixon



Series: HBO War Writings: A Collection [8]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 02:38:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10777734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cptlewnixon/pseuds/cptlewnixon
Summary: I was given the prompt "in dreams" with any character. I chose Malarkey, because I'd been thinking about this one for a long time, and longer than I'd probably care to admit.





	in dreams.

Malarkey didn’t like to admit it, but nightmares started to plague him towards the end of the war.

They weren’t nightmares in the typical sense, but they left that lingering feeling that you have with you when you wake up from a particularly haunting dream. These dreams started to become more and more frequent, and Malarkey didn’t say a word about them; he never did.

In these dreams, everything was good. He was in Austria, the war had ended, it was a beautiful summer day, everyone was alive, and things were good.

In the dreams, there was always a huge party celebrating the war. Everyone was always drinking and telling jokes, chasing after the beautiful women there. Malarkey would laugh at the antics and jokes, and then he’d notice something was off.

There were people here that shouldn’t be. At first, he thought the people were family members and friends from back home. _Why would they be here?_ he’d think, drink in hand. _That doesn’t make sense._

That was when it’d all unravel.

A crowd would part, and he’d see Muck and Penkala in the midst of a story and entertaining the girls and the replacements that made it this far. Muck would be regaling them all with the story of how he swam the Niagara and Penkala would throw in details. They told stories about dumb stuff they did early in the war, and Speirs’ alleged reputation for killing POWs and a sergeant in his own platoon. Everyone present was enraptured, as they should be.

Malarkey would approach and Muck would immediately see him, and with a smile and a cry, he’d grab Malarkey by the shoulder and pull him over.

“Now, this is one of the best men I’ve ever known,” Muck said. “He’s a great guy, and you ought to be sad that’s not your best friend.”

“I thought he was _my_ best friend!” Penkala would jokingly whine. Muck and Penkala would then bicker like an old married couple, and Malarkey would have to be the kid crying that they were tearing the family apart.

That’s when Malarkey would remember everything. He’d turn and look at where he last saw Hoobler, and he’d be gone. Another turn to find Van Klinken and he was gone, too. Mellet, Sowosko, both Webb’s, Jackson. They’d all disappear, and Malarkey would be left with Muck and Penkala.

Malarkey would have tears in eyes, knowing it was too good to be true. “I really thought this time, it–” he’d clear his throat, “–I really thought it was for real this time.”

Muck and Penkala would smile back. “Don’t worry,” Muck would say. “Someday it will be, and we’ll be right here waiting for you.”

“Don’t make it too soon, though,” Penkala said. “We still have some party set-up to do and the place is a mess.”

Malarkey laughed at that and wiped his eyes. “Will I know, though?” he asked. “When it’s time?”

“You will, but until then,” Muck said, throwing his arm around Malarkey’s shoulders, “You have to promise to live your life to the fullest. For both of us.”

Malarkey nodded in agreement, and Penkala and grasped Malarkey on the other shoulder. “You been working out?” he asked.

Malarkey remembers all three of them laughing before jolting up in bed in a cold sweat. He looked around, the feeling of the dream still with him, the touch of his long gone friends still lingering on his shoulders. He could still hear the laughing and their voices.

In that room, Malarkey started to cry. He always had these dreams, and they never got any easier. They never will.


End file.
